Have I Got Your Attention?
by Katniss17
Summary: Something I've been working on recently, please excuse the title. Rizzoli and Isles find themselves at the local comprehensive school. Hope you enjoy! Rated for mild language & themes. Rizzles of course! But not straight away, give it time.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Neither Waterloo Road or Rizzoli and Isles belong to me, I just borrowed them from the wonderful Tess Gerritsen, TNT, Alibi and Shed. If they were mine, well... You'd end up with something along the lines of this!_

_Hello again all! Well, this is a bit branched out for me as I haven't written Rizzoli and Isles fanfiction before, but it is easily becoming one of my favourite programmes so I thought I would give it a go! That, and I thought I would try a truly crazy and completely illogical crossover - Rizzoli and Isles and Waterloo Road! Please bear with me, I can see you pulling faces at the choice but it's more the school setting and the characters I've used instead of trying to recreate a whole cast of my own. I hope it will be a success, but feel free to tell me if you agree/disagree/love it/hate it/peanut butter. Anything, constructive criticism will always be taken into account!_

_And so enough of me, scroll down and read instead of listening to my babbling?_

_..._

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_Why are you still here? Scroll! v v v v v_

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Stop, police!"

The hooded figure's head shot up at the sound of her voice. He leapt away from the wall as though it was on fire and took off down the street, knocking over the trash cans ahead of him to try and impede the detective's path. Jane Rizzoli mumbled to herself, "Why must they never stop?" and raced down the street after him, quietly cursing about her unpractical choice of footwear. Well, she didn't expect to be chasing after a criminal did she?

After a few minutes and a very unladylike tackle, Rizzoli found herself pinning their latest suspect to the ground and cuffing him. Matches the description of a youth involved in drug trafficking, and how many innocent people do you know that pegs it down the street when they've been spotted? Exactly, so that's another case wrapped up. Hopefully anyway, if it really is the right guy. Maura's always telling her that she should be so quick to jump to conclusions but all the evidence pointing to this bloke.

Shit! Maura!

She and Maura were enjoying a pancake breakfast before she spotted the teenager outside and chased him for 10 blocks, and left her sitting alone in the café window seat. She pulled the lad to his feet as the sirens closed in on her, pushing him into the backseat as she read him his rights. Frost, her partner as of three months ago, was in the front of the vehicle with a knowing grin on his face.

"You did it again Jane."

She groaned and slammed the car door shut, leaning on his window.

"Catching the criminal by wrestling them to the ground, or leaving Maura alone in a coffee shop?"

"Both."

Frost let out a low chuckle as Rizzoli banged twice on his bonnet, telling him the arrested was secured in the car and it was okay for him to leave. He left the sirens off, there was no need for them heading back to the police station, and began the drive back to Boston PD headquarters. She straightened up, grimacing slightly as the tell-tale sound of Maura Isles' five hundred pound shoes tapped sharply on the pavement beneath her feet. Desperately hoping the ground would just swallow her whole, she turned slowly to face Maura's wrath. Much to her surprise she was met with Maura's chocolate brown eyes, twinkling with a hint of amusement. She straightened her dress (Which easily cost more than Jane's wages for the next month) and pushed her honey-blonde hair back off her shoulders.

"Did you catch him?"

Jane just nodded, still unsure how to gauge Maura's level of annoyance. It had been the second time that week and the fifth time that month she had run off after someone while out with her. The coffee shop, the café, even launched herself out Maura's black Lexus once just to tail a suspect. And invariably Maura was confused or hurt, but not today.

"Good. Tackle him to the ground or pin him against a wall or fence or other horizontal surface?"

Was she really that predictable? Rizzoli stared open-mouthed at her best friend for a few seconds, before collecting herself once more and answering the question.

"The ground. I'm sorry Maur, I will stop ditching you, I – "

Maura waved away her rambling apology.

"You will always do it Jane, I wouldn't expect otherwise. You are dedicated to your job, it's one of the things I love and respect about you."

Smiling lightly, Maura turned on her heel and started back up the street towards her parked car, Jane at her side. It was a spring morning, the trees were beginning to blossom and the cool air was more than welcome on this relatively warm morning. Maura was clad in a pastel pink dress, resting just above her knee and her favourite pair of court heels. Draped around her shoulders was a white cashmere cardigan; just in case it suddenly became chilly. She looked a little like she had just stepped off a runway in Milan, yet these were her 'casual' and 'work' clothes. Rizzoli on the other hand, sported her favourite boyfriend fit blazer with a plain white shirt and loose fitting black trousers. Simple, practical, easy to chase cons in. It suited Jane to a T, even if no-one else agreed with her fashion sense – or lack thereof.

Maura slid into the passenger's seat once they arrived back at her car, her black Lexus towering above all the little town cars surrounding it. She loved her car, regardless of the fact Jane refused to let her drive when they were in the car together because of her attention to road laws and lack of recklessness when behind the wheel, or the fact that it had been dubbed the 'Death-mobile' by her colleagues. The Queen of the Dead needed her own carriage – in this case the Lexus. She had become attached to the nickname, almost fond of it, but it still set Jane on edge. No-one was allowed to take the mick out of her friend – except her of course – and she often jumped to Maura's defence. Luckily for them, she knows they do not mean in maliciously otherwise they would be missing reproductive organs.

"Did you know the first comprehensive school was founded after the Second World War, in 1946 in five selected areas of Great Britain? They were set up to offer everyone an education – Regardless of gender, intellectual ability, social status or financial income. They're now universal and more common than private school, or grammar schools. I think it's fascinating that – "

"Maur, what are you googlemouthing about now?"

Jane's interruption stopped Maura mid-sentence, who turned to her and gave her a cross between and scowl and concern.

"The talk you're doing? The school you've been invited to is a comprehensive, or state, school. You know that didn't you?" Her confused state answered Maura's question. "… You had forgotten about the school visit hadn't you?"

The tall, dark-haired Italian cop groaned and leant forward in her chair, her nose making contact with the steering wheel which let out an almighty and elongated beep. She did nothing to rectify this, letting the shrill sound echo around the car until it drove Maura to the brink of insanity and she forced her to sit upright in the chair.

"Yes Maur, I had forgotten about the stupid bloody talk I have to give obnoxious, spotty teenagers that want to listen to me just about as much as I want to be there. Why me?"

"Language Jane. And you were chosen because you were absent from the last three racial awareness meetings they've had."

She scowled, grumbling something about being discriminated against because she was the only female detective at the precinct, and how being Italian meant she was clearly racially aware. She started the car and made her way back to the café she had abandoned Maura in earlier that day.

"You're still a white European Jane, so it doesn't count. It's only a twenty minute presentation with a question and answer after that. We'll be out of there by 2, and then we have a couple of hours before yoga class."

Oh wonderful, yoga and hormonal adolescents in one day, could her life get any better? She was still mumbling her complaints as they pulled up outside the café.

"We have to be there in twenty minutes Jane, why are we here?"

"If you insist on forcing me to spend an hour with those juvenile delinquents without smashing their heads in for being so damn irritating, then I need coffee. I need a lot of coffee."

...

Love it? Hate it? Press the little button and let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

_I know, it's taken me a really long time to post this - I'm sorry! I will try and be quicker I promise! Anyway, this is no longer a crossover fic, that was a rather ridiculous idea so please enjoy just a regular Rizzoli and Isles fan-fic, set in a school. Enjoy!_

_ ..._

A large cup of coffee and a short car-ride later, the dynamic duo found themselves sitting in the Black Lexus, parked outside the front of the school. Jane looked up at the school; there was nothing outstanding about the place. The bricks were faded and had a slight tint of colour from where, she presumed, graffiti had once been removed. There were no signs of movement on the playground, nor in the corridor that could be seen through the large glass doors at the front of the building, so Jane could only presume they were in lessons. That was a little bit more satisfactory at least, knowing they were having a hell of a time too. Maura reached into the back of the car and collected her medical bag, clicking the lock open on her door and stepping out.

"Are you coming?"

Jane mumbled something under her breath once more and made no attempt to exit the car. Maura sighed inwardly, she knew she was going to be difficult about this, and made her way round to the driver's side of the car.

"I have to be here too, so it's not going to be that bad is it? You have my company."

"Maur, you volunteered to be here. You've been upbeat and peppy about coming here since the day it was mentioned. I, on the other hand, hate schools, hate kids, hate publicly speaking, and hate being interrogated. So this was not high on my list of things to do."

Maura rolled her eyes, something she had picked up from Jane in the year she had known her, and opened the car door. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, crossing her arms across her chest and cocked her head to one slightly as she often did when trying to think about something or persuade Jane to do as she has asked. Jane always gave in, but never without the initial argument.

"Okay, okay I'm coming. I swear you owe me a large beer after this ordeal is over. I'm talking barrel sized."

Laughter as gentle as birdsong drifted from Maura's lips as they headed towards the steps of the school, and into the unknown jungle of orange faced primates with short skirts, fake eyelashes and hair extensions.

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Halfway up the staircase toward the staffroom, a shrill ring filled the air. Maura looked around, confused. She'd never heard a sound like that before, not even when she was in boarding school in Paris. Jane on the other hand, knew all too well what that signalled – impending doom. She grabbed Maura's elbowed and pulled her to one side of the stairs.

"Jane, what are you doing? There's no-one else –"

She was cut off abruptly by the thunder of feet as a wave of students came crashing down the stairs. Jane pulled Maura into her, keeping her away from the students running carelessly down the stairwell, almost knocking the pair over. Her breath hitched in her throat at their closeness, having to hold herself back when I child barged straight into them and dared glare at them as though it were their fault.

"Hey! Watch it kid!"

He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'dyke' but she didn't have time for ignorant children right now. She was more focused on getting up to the head stairs office without being trampled by this herd of rampaging elephants. Grabbing Maura's hand she ascended the rest of the stairs, coming into another hallway as the children dispersed and left an empty corridor. Jane look towards the double doors, and turned to face the opposite direction – also wielding double doors. Well, hell, which way were they supposed to go?

"Maur, do you remember where she said the office was?"

"She said up the stairs and through the double doors… Oh…"

Just a few moments later, Maura realised Jane's predicament. They were two virtually identical corridors. Going on gut instinct; Jane head off to the right. The corridors were abandoned, every classroom door shut and very few appeared to have classes in. Probably waiting in the main hall for their presentations; oh joy. There were less than 10 minutes now until they were supposed to be prepared, and yet they hadn't even found the head teacher yet. This was going well.

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Three minutes until they were due in the assembly hall, and yet again they had found a dead end. It was proving more difficult to find a classroom now than as a short, spotty eleven year old who's older brother had told her all the horror stories of flushing little girls head's down the toilet, hanging them up on coat hooks and using them as goalposts. Come to think of it, Jane had always found it fairly easy to navigate her school, whilst still avoiding Tommy (whom she had yet to forgive for terrifying her just days before she was due to start middle school), so why couldn't she manage it now?

"Jane, do you think it might be a good idea to ask someone where the office is?"

Jane groaned; the last thing she intended to do was ask for help. Asking for directions was certainly not in her nature, she wasn't planning on starting now. She dragged Maura around yet another corner until they found themselves back at the stairs they had taken a few moments previous. Jane swore to herself, this was not a good day.

Before Maura had the opportunity to reprimand Jane for her language (Which she did frequently, and seem to get great enjoyment out of doing so) a pair of heavy heels clicked down the corridor, and a door in front of them opened. A relatively short woman with high-heeled, knee-high boots on strolled out and stood opposite them, shoulders relaxed and an air of authority whipped around her. She held out a hand, which Maura shook warmly.

"Hello, I'm Faith Richards; I'm head teacher here. You must be Dr Isles and Detective Rizzoli? If you'd like to follow me, you may leave your belongings in my office then we should head down to the hall and start."

Jane followed behind her, recalling the days of being sent to the heads office. She wasn't a bad kid; just had a very quick temper and people often rubbed her up the wrong way. She didn't _mean _to pin one boy against the fence outside on the playground, but he had started it. Who says girls can't play football? Pulling herself back from her childhood thoughts, Jane focused her attention on Faith. She seemed quite young to be a head teacher, about 35 tops. She seemed to be good at her job regardless and was currently strolling into her office, Maura and Jane in toe, while explaining her expectations of the day. Well, she's got some pretty high expectations at least.


	3. Chapter 3

_This next chapter is a little shorter than the others, but only because this was the best place to end it! Otherwise this would be one hell of a chapter, and I don't want to scare you guys off, so enjoy!_

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Outside the hall, Jane was fidgeting. She could hear the kids already caged inside, ready to rip her limb from limb as soon as she climbed onto that stage. Their hungry eyes piercing through her as they sit, bored stiff, forced to listen to her ramble on about how good it is to be a cop. It wasn't like any of them in there were actually interested, she was sure she recognised some of the faces in the corridor and had seen them down the police station before now.

Maura slipped her hand into Jane's softly, chewing slightly on her bottom lip. Jane looked at her softly and smiled, squeezing her hand.

"It'll be okay, we'll get out of here alive. It's just a few kids right?"

Whether it was just a few kids or not, Jane was nervous. She didn't think twice about wrestling a murderer to the ground, who possibly could have had a weapon on him there and then, but the idea of standing up in front of this room full of people made her legs turn to jelly. No, brave Jane Rizzoli was not going to stand for this. She is a cop, she is the only women at Boston PD, she will show no fear (though they would probably be able to smell it on her anyway, she stunk of the stuff) but her eyes were filled with the determination they always had.

"Go get them tiger."

Maura looked at Jane, head tilted to the side as she usually does when something confuses her or she's thinking.

"Latin name, _Panthera tigris_. Usually found in Africa or Asia, though many can also be found in the Boston zoo. The probability of a tiger currently being inside this school is about a million to one Jane, so which tiger are you referring to and who are they going to get?"

She frowned slightly as Jane laughed at her and called her googlemouth.

"Just go do the speech Maur."

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Tick, tock.

Jane fidgeted once more, her eyes set firmly on the clock. It'd been two minutes since Maura went into the hall. She could make out snippets of the beginning of Maura's speech.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Maura Isles… Medical examiner… Must have an M.D… licensed as a pathologist… Examination of tissue, organs, body fluids, and cells… Ordinarily takes place after a patient has died… Determine cause of death… In cases of violence, where a crime must be established…"

Jane mumbled to herself.

'Great, a nice long talk about death, and how an ME would determine the cause of death. At this rate everyone in the room will be experts at killing someone and making it look like an accident, and Maura and I will be top of their hit list for making them sit through our babbling…'

Tick, tock.

She paced back and forth, her head flicking back up to the clock periodically. It was beginning to give her neck ache, but she didn't care; she couldn't sit still. It'd been five minutes since Maura went into the hall.

Tick, tock.

Wringing her hands, she stood and stared back at the clock. The clock stared back defiantly, its hand moving painfully slowly around its face. It'd been seven minutes since Maura went into the hall.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

Jane had finally sat back down, and was staring at her feet, tapping on her knees. She was a cop for goodness sakes, she shouldn't get nervous. She's Jane Rizzoli, she's been shot at by blokes three times the size of her and still didn't bat and eyelid. She wrestled a 16-stone weightlifter to the ground with a dislocated shoulder. She was fearless. Her eyes darted back to the clock; it'd been twenty minutes since Maura went into the hall.

Twenty minutes?

She jumped to her feet and edged closer to the hall, silence greeting her. What had they done to Maura? She couldn't hear anything on the other side of the door. She couldn't hear the mumbles of their audience or Maura's gentle tones seeping through the door as she googlemouthed her way through the speech. A soft, defenceless lamb set up for slaughter in front of an audience of ruthless teens. Oh God, they really are savage beasts who've eaten Maura, and were waiting patiently for dessert – Her.

"Detective Rizzoli, we're ready for you now."

Oh… Well, perhaps not.

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	4. Chapter 4

*Wanders in rather sheepishly with tail between legs*

_Uh... Hi guys! Please, put away the shotguns, I apologise sooooooooooo much for making you wait all the time! I am unreliable, but I have returned with a nice long chapter as an apology for my unreliableness. I will try to update a little more frequently than I have been, so please don't shoot me! I hope you enjoy it!_

She ran her hand through her unruly curls as she headed toward the stage. Her hands were sore, they were always sore when she was nervous, and right now she was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. Hundreds of eyes scorched her skin as they stared at her, eyes trained on her expectantly. They were bored; many had given up and found other distractions, but others were still waiting for the moment she messed up so they could laugh at her misfortune.

"And this is Detective Jane Rizzoli."

Crap. That was her cue. She forced a smile which looked more like a grimace onto her face and stood up to the mic.

"Hi, I'm Jane Rizzoli and I work at Boston Homicide department as a Detective."

She could feel beads of sweat on the back of her neck. No, Jane, don't show weakness. You can do this, they're just kids and you could say whatever the hell you like because it's not like they're actually listening right now. Hell, you could be dressed in a monkey suit with a giant banana and talking in Portuguese and they still wouldn't even notice you were in the room.

Rubbing her hands, she continued talking. Why did they choose now to hurt? A few tired eyes drifted to her palms, mentally noting her weakness. Damn Hoyt, damn this speech, damn everything. She'd rather wrestle some fat sweaty guy to the ground than do this. Hell, she'd rather go back to ballet classes than be here.

"Being a Homocide detective is very fulfilling, and there's rarely a dull moment." Except for this bloody speech. "And although the hours are long and tiring, and the many dead ends in a case can become disheartening…"

Jane, idiot, are you trying to put them off? Actually, probably a good idea, you might end up being their mentor. They'll remember this moment and make you pay for it later. She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, and tried to associate more at their level.

"It's still a very satisfying feeling to cuff a guy and read him his rights. There's some sickos out there, it's our job to bang them up."

They still only looked mildly less bored than prior to her speech, but that seemed to be enough for the headteacher. Jane stepped away from the microphone as a polite round of applause gained momentum and Faith took her place centre stage. She dismissed the students back to their classes, and allowed Jane and Maura to retire to the staff room to prepare themselves for the student's interrogation.

"See? I told you it wouldn't be completely horrendous. You seem to be enjoying yourself near the end."

Jane raised a quizzical eyebrow at Maura.

"Oh yea? And what makes you think that?"

"Your eyes twinkle when you talk about something you feel passionate about."

Maura said this so matter-of-factly it took Jane aback. Did she really notice something as small as that? Wow. She watched her softly as she drunk her tea – Maura Isles would never touch coffee – and smiled. That was what admired her about Maura, how she noticed the intricate little details. And her googlemouth, she pretended to be annoyed and bored when Maura sprouted facts, but she actually found it endearing. Endearing? Bloody hell Jane, you're going soft.

"… Jane? We should go to the question sessions now, they're all waiting for us."

She groaned loudly.

"Do we have to? Can't we just sneak out now? It's not like they're actually going to ask anything productive or worthwhile. They either want to do our jobs or they don't, shouldn't they have done their own research?"

Maura smiled softly at Jane's resistance and took her gently by the wrist, determinedly dragging her towards the staffroom door. She protested loudly as Maura led her through the corridors, but gave up struggling. She knew she would give in to Maura; she always did.

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Their deadpanned, bored faces said it all. Jane entered the room with a casual grin, masking the unmistakable feeling of foreboding in the pit of her stomach. She mentally scolded herself as Maura dragged her through the door and to the front. With a sigh, the teacher dragged himself from his desk and lazily introduced them, his body language clearly stating he would rather be anywhere but there.

"So, hi guys. You all saw the assembly, so we've just popped along in case you've got any questions or whatever. Just fire away."

A boy around eighteen gave his friend a glance and a smirk before raising his hand up in the air. Jane motioned for him to speak.

"So erm, you got a gun then?"

"Usually I am armed yes, but today your head teacher has my firearm locked up because she doesn't like the idea of guns in schools, which I fully appreciate. Anyone else?"

One of the girls, with too short a skirt and far too much make-up spoke up while chomping loudly and rather obnoxiously on a piece of gum.

"So are the male coppers really fit? Are you 'avin' it off with any of 'em?"

Jane cleared her throat, that was not a question she could have been anticipating. Maura looked at her slightly, her eyes asking Jane how she intended to answer the question.

"I don't think that's an appropriate question, but no, homicide detectives are expected to behave appropriately at all times with their colleagues."

She heard a less than subtle 'dyke' coming from the back of the class, which was quickly hushed by the teacher who seemed to have finally woken up and taken control of the class, who seemed to find that hilarious and were becoming rowdy. Maura edged towards Jane, prepared to console her but after the comment retracted back into herself and folded her hand in her lap. Someone near the front of the class - another class clown Jane could only assume (why stick them all in the same bloody class?) – noticed her hesitation.

"What about Dr Death 'ere then? She seems interested in you!"

Jane overheard that hateful word from the back of the classroom again as Maura's head tilted down slightly, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. _Yes, yes, and a million times yes. _She thought. _Maura you're the most awkward, aggravating, socially inept individual I have ever met, but that just makes you all the more endearing. Your eyes shine when your googlemouth runs away with itself, and you never understand my sarcasm and it just makes me love you more. You care so much about everyone and everything, you do this awful job where you're surrounded by the dead even when you don't really have to, just because you want to make a difference. You are a beautiful person, both inside and out, and I love you._

"Well I… er… I mean – "

BANG!

The sound of the gunshot ricocheted around the room as those in the room dove to the floor for cover. Jane hand instinctively flew to her holster on her belt, cursing silently when she realised her gun wasn't there. Maura placed a hand gently on her right arm, sitting next to her on the classroom floor while the teacher attempted to calm the students.

"Jane, was that what I think it was? Has someone been shot?"

A further two shots answered Maura's question before Jane had the opportunity to. More screams echoed around the room from the panicked students, many had begun to cry and were clinging onto each other, far louder than Jane knew was safe. She got to her feet and headed toward them.

"Okay, I'm going to have to ask you all to stay as calm as you can. I'm going to find out what that was, once I leave barricade the door and no-one comes in or out you understand? You need to be as quiet as humanly possible, the last thing you want is to be found okay?"

Jane grabbed her jacket and threw it on, reaching for her mobile when a hand tightened itself around her wrist. Maura had stood up too, and was now effectively holding her hostage (not that she was complaining).

"Jane, you can't go out there. We've no idea what's going on, how many people are involved and you're not armed. You could be hurt, you could… You could be killed…"

She took Maura's hand, squeezing it tightly and pushing Maura's hair back behind her ear, not caring who saw.

"If I don't, many more innocent people could die. I have to do this Maur, you know I do."

Maura sighed softly. This was Jane, the hero regardless of consequence. Her bravery showed no bounds; it was her greatest strength and weakness. It was one of the things she loved and hated about Jane, but she'd never change it. She was a cop, it was what she's supposed to do. Hesitantly, she released Jane from her grip and headed towards the door with her.

"No, no no no Maura, absolutely not. You are staying here."

"If someone's hurt I could –"

"No Maura, no arguments. You are not leaving this room until this psycho is behind bars. I couldn't bear lose you; you stay here until I come and collect you, okay? Stay here, and stay safe."

She tried to protest, but Jane cut her off by pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. At once she forgot her argument, and that they were in a school, in a classroom full of no less than thirty kids, and she let Jane kiss her. Pulling away, Jane whispered '_stay safe' _and headed out of the door, towards the sound of the shots.

What do you think? Am I out of the doghouse? Was it worth waiting for? Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

_Oops I'm late again! Very unreliable prune I am! Hey guys, sorry life's been really hectic with our murder mystery show coming up and exams just around the corner, but here is an update for you all! We're getting towards the most intense part of the story, finding out who the killer is with some surprise twists and turns, but you'll have to wait around for those! ;) Thanks so so so so much to my reviewers of the last few chapters, I hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint!_

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BANG, BANG!

The corridors were empty, the classrooms abandoned as she crept silently down the corridor. The gunshots were getting louder.

BANG, BANG!

She felt exposed and vulnerable without her gun clasped in her sweaty hands, the adrenaline pumping around her body faster than the blood could carry it. Again she silently cursed herself; cursed herself for leaving Maura behind defenceless, for being unarmed herself, for ever coming to this stupid thing. For kissing Maura.

BANG, BANG!

No, not that; never that. It was the one truly brave thing she'd ever done; everything else was simply foolish. Including what she was doing right now.

BANG!

Jane feared for casualties now as they were almost inevitable, what with the amount of shots she'd heard just in the last couple of minutes alone. Was the shooter getting closer? She had no idea, she just had to keep moving.

Jane peered into one of the desolate classrooms; there was still work strewn across the desks and bags lying by table legs. As quietly as possible, she turned the door handle and shot inside the room. Something in here must make a suitable weapon, something. She had no idea where her gun was at the moment, it had been taken off her and locked away somewhere from the kids. Her gun could be the one the shooter has. She shook the thought away, rummaging in the cupboards for anything of use.

Tucked away at the back of the walk-in cupboard she finally found something. It was an old, quite worn surgeons pouch with a number of scalpels and tweezers inside.

"Must have been a science classroom once," Jane muttered to herself, removing the tweezers and taking out a scalpel. She slid off its protective jacket and stared at it. "Unless they plan to use these on the students when they misbehave." The sight of the silver blade made her feel almost sick as her memories pulled at her. His coffee breath, the searing pain in both of her hands as she lay there vulnerable, defenceless to him, unable to move.

She shook the thought away and headed back out into the corridor, feeling better now she had some sort of weapon. Pretty much useless against a guy with a gun but it was definitely better than nothing.

She continued down the corridor, spotting a few blood splatters up against the whitewashed walls and on the floor. Someone had definitely been hurt, but survived and had fled from here and she knew she had to find them before the gunman decided to finish them off. More cautious now, Jane pushed open one of the double doors and walked down the second stretch of corridor.

BANG! BANG!

A muffled scream came from one of the classrooms adjacent to where Jane was standing. She gripped the scalpel tighter and flung the door to the classroom open, afraid of what she might find. Huddled in the corner, blood soaking her shirt, sat a young girl of no more than 11 or 12 who was sobbing into her blazer. Her long, blonde hair was matted with blood, tears stained her cheeks as she shook with fear.

Jane hurried over to her, wrapping her arms around her protectively.

"It's okay sweetheart, I'm here, I'm going to help. What's your name?"

The tiny girl looked up, hesitant, until she noticed Jane's police badge.

"Ellie… My name's Ellie."

"Hello there Ellie, I'm Jane Rizzoli, I'm a homicide detective. Can I have a look at your leg?"

She nodded slowly and uncurled her legs from beneath her, the gun's bullet having only grazed her so the wound was only superficial.

"He didn't hurt me bad. The other's… the others are really hurt… There was blood, blood everywhere it… I couldn't…"

Ellie showed Jane her hands; they were covered in blood too.

"I tried to help, I really tried. But he had a gun, and he was shooting at everyone and they… they told me to run… I did, I did and now I don't know if… What… Are they okay?"

Jane wrapped her arms around the little, sobbing girl once more and sat beside her. She was so young, so innocent, she didn't deserve this. No-one here deserved this, they hadn't had time to live their lives yet. All the casualties… They had mothers and fathers, and boyfriends and girlfriends, and little brothers and sisters that they're never going to be able to say goodbye to. It isn't fair, they weren't supposed to die this way. Jane sighed softly, thinking back to the many times she'd put herself in a life threatening situation. She'd never thought about anyone, she did what she had to do, but what if she had died? She never could have apologised to her mom for being so argumentative and uncooperative. She never could have fixed another pipe with her dad, or played another game of basketball with Frankie. She would miss all of those things, and all the things she never would have had the opportunity to do, like having a child, getting married, telling someone she loved them. So never would have had a chance to tell Maura she loved her. Jane stroked Ellie's hair gently, whispering to her soothingly as her tears slowly began to lessen. She would do it, today. She would tell Maura everything and bugger the consequences if she got out of this alive; if they both got out alive. She loved her; she wanted her and the rest of the world to know. Seize the day and all that. Her attention returned to Ellie, who was currently tucked into her side, her eyes closed and the tears were still wet on her flushed cheeks.

"We'll find them darling, we will. You can't blame yourself, this was not your fault; none of this was your fault. All that matters is you're safe, and I'm going to do my best to protect everyone else too. Which way did the shooter go?"

"Left… Towards the hall… So many people, what if they've been shot? What if they're dead? Oh my god… Oh my god…"

"Sweetheart calm down, it'll be okay. I'm going to find out what's going on and I'm going to stop this, okay? Go right out of this corridor, towards the main entrance okay? There will be a woman in one of the classrooms, with blonde hair? She's a friend of mine, she'll help you. Can you walk?"

She nodded slowly and got to her feet.

"Okay good, now go, everything's going to be okay darling, just go."

They both headed into the corridor, Ellie towards safety and Jane opened the next door, stumbling into the unknown. Not knowing whether she would make it out again or not.

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What do you think? Reviews are always welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry I have been gone such a long month with exams and stuff, but I'm back and hoping to update far more often now! I hope you haven't forgotten about little old me, and I hope you still enjoy this :) There will be more, it's a pathetic excuse for a chapter after being kept waiting all this time, but this is the best place to leave it. Have fun!_

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_When I joined the police force, I knew it would be hard. Being shot at was a regular occurrence, not once did I question it. There are so many arseholes I had to deal with on a day to day basis and not once did I ever bat and eyelid. It was just a job, just trying to find justice against the sick bastards who do this sort of stuff. _

Jane could see the sign for the main hall as she turned right at the end of a corridor. It was quiet, so quiet. Her heart sunk in her chest, the adrenaline pumping through her body so fast it made her feel nauseous. She walked forward; step by step by step, until another corridor was in sight. Blood slipped silently down the window.

_What I was not prepared for, or ever will get used to, was the amount of death. This is homicide, I know there were going to be dead people, but not like this. Woman beaten by their husbands, children abused by the people they loved. Blood… There was always so much blood._

A young lad laid face down in a pool of his own blood. A hole in her back showed it was a clean through and through – he would have been dead instantaneously.

_So young, so much of his life still ahead of him. He didn't deserve this, no-one deserved this. Who was he? No-one knows, and no-one really cares, he's just another face. He could have been a straight A student, a wonderful son and friend, a perfect student, and now he's just another murder victim. On what planet is that fair?_

A girl and boy laid side by side, hand entwined. She had a bullet wound to the thigh; he had one to the side. They had died in each other's arms, together until the very end. Jane fought back tears.

_They might have survived – they could have survived – if only she had got here sooner. If only she had been nearer when the gun man got in, then maybe two more lives could have been spared._

One last student laid in the corridor, her honey blonde hair covered most of her facial features. She had a gunshot to her neck; her crimson blood matted the hair surrounding the injury. She never had a chance. Jane dropped the scalpel and knelt beside her, pushing her hair back from her petite face. She was pale, so pale, her lips were blue and her piercing eyes stared up at her. They were so familiar; the hair and the eyes, they reminded her of someone… Maura. Her mind shot back to the woman she'd left behind, defenceless in the stuffy classroom. She had to keep going; she had to do this for Maura. So much had been left unsaid.

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The sense of foreboding pressed on her heart once more. She could see the door to the hall, see the blood of so many innocent victims on the door handle. She pushed herself forward, ignoring the fear that tried to hold her back. She was Jane Rizzoli, the strong one, the brave one, the one who could take on anything. She had to do this, to save all the people who were lucky to survive up until this moment. She couldn't let them down now.

The nearer she got to the door, the stronger the scent of blood was. It was nauseating. She'd never felt ill at a crime scene before but… this was different. Holding the scalpel firmly in her right hand, so much so it dug into her palm, she pushed the door to the canteen open.

Jane held her hand to her mouth as she felt the bile rise in her throat. The scene that greeted her, it could only be described as a blood bath. So many people… So much blood… it was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Nothing she'd ever see again. It was all she could do not to cry and scream and thrash out in anger and pain. So many young, innocent lives lost in such a brutal way. The room was filled with a deafening silence, mourning the loss. Jane eyed the room again, checking for any signs of the shooter, before making her way toward the nearest victim.

In the corner, watching her as she ventured around the room, searching desperately for signs of life and to see if anyone had survived the carnage, sat a boy. He cradled the gun and grinned, nothing but hatred in his eyes as he surveyed her. Torture her for a while, torture her with the sights of the dead, and then fire a bullet straight through her heart.

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What did you think? Reviews are love!


	7. Chapter 7

_Two updates in one week? I'm spoiling you all! I've had a bit of spare time on my hands, so I decided to updated a wee bit more. I hope you enjoy!_

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Jane slumped down on the floor, near the hall door. The smell was getting to her now, it was making her feel light and dizzy, so she ran her fingers through her hair, with her elbows propped up on her knees. Trying to breathe normally, she closed her eyes for the briefest of moments and tried to clear her mind. Face after face flashed through her thoughts, all those lifeless stares judging her. Hating her for being too late to save them, too late to do anything to help. Their blood stained her hands as she sat in the main hall and wept. Wept for everyone who had been lost that day, and the day before, and ever. It was all her fault, for always being one step behind the murderer. For always failing.

A deep laugh reached her ears. Jane's head shot up, cursing herself for taking her eyes off the situation. The gunman stood in front of her, the offending weapon clutched in his sweaty hands.

"Well, well, well…"

Jane crouched defensively, trying not to move too much and provoke him.

"Who are you? What's your name? Why are you doing this?"

His deep laugh erupted from his throat again, holding the gun up to Jane's head. He had good control, but underneath Jane could see he was scared. He was just a troubled boy underneath, yet she could not find the heart to feel for him. He was a serial killer, he didn't deserve pity.

"I suppose I can humour you for a while. I'm a murderer, a cold blooded murderer. You feel the same, I can see it in your eyes. You're hatred for me is… exhilarating. The feel of clutching the gun's handle is empowering, it makes you feel like a bigger person. You must know how that feels, Detective. You are a Detective, aren't you? Detective Jane Rizzoli? Oh yes, I know who you are."

"And who are you?" Jane repeated. The gunman grinned.

"We're the same, you and I. When you cock the gun…"_ Click. _"We get the same adrenaline rush from it. Your heart pounds with the excitement of shooting someone, just the same as I do. Me? I just get high on the feeling, that's why I do it so much. Having someone else's blood on your hands… It feels better than anything else in the world. You know that feeling too, don't you? Don't try and deny it, Detective."

She looked down at her own hands, their faces flashing through her mind again. It was horrible, truly horrible. She was, she was the same as this monster. Nothing could change that.

"You see it don't you? You see how we're one and the same. You can't fight it. I tried to, when I was young, I tried to stop the way it feels but it felt too nice… it felt too good to see their glassy expressions and their blood on the walls and on the floor. It felt so good Detective, you know it does. And now, you can know what it's like to be on the other end of the gun."

His hand gripped around the gun once more, his finger hovering over the trigger. Jane's head tilted up again, staring down the barrel of the gun, her eyes full of guilt and despair. She was not afraid, not anymore.

"Just do it…" She whispered, and closed her eyes.

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_This is it, this is how I'm going to die. All those times before, all those situations I found myself in which could have resulted in my death, and this is how I go. No explosions, no open gun fire, not even a wanted criminal like Doyle… No, I will have fallen at the hands of a young teenager. I gave up and gave in; I was weak._

_The silence was the worst. He'd not pulled the trigger yet, I could feel him enjoying my pain, but I still could not bring myself to do anything. I could not bring myself to wrestle the gun from his grasp, to protect myself or anyone else. I could not fight death anymore; I've spent too long running and now the inevitable has caught me up. An in a way… I've accepted it. This is how it was always going to happen. Justice? What's justice? I spent my entire career finding 'justice' against the bad, but in the end they still win._

"Jane?"

_No, no, no, no, no! Not you, not here! Please, tell me I'm wrong…_

"Jane!"

She flicked her eyes open and stared toward the hall door; toward the one person who should never have been here, in this situation, with her.

"Maura, no!"

As Jane lept to her feet, it was like everything was happening in slow motion. The shooter raised his gun and pointed it at Maura. You could see in her face she knew it would happen, the realisation and dread lay heavily on her gentle face, but when the shot rang out we both stood there in silence, unable to believe it had happened.

"Jane…" It was barely more than a whisper, but Jane saw the word formed around Maura's lips. All Jane saw was red, her blood boiling with anger and hatred for the boy stood in front of her, smiling at Maura. She wrestled him to the ground, though he gave little to no resistance, and retrieved the gun from his murderous clasp. He continued to grin, that slimy evil grin.

"Do it detective, I know you want to. It feels good doesn't it? To have the power?"

"You evil bastard." She spat, and fired two shots into his head.

The sound of something falling to the floor brought Jane back to realisation with a sickening thump. She looked behind her, where Maura had fallen to the ground, as though she had waited until Jane had finished until she did do. Jane ran to her side, clasping Maura's hand in her own.

"Maura? Maura, can you hear me? Come on! Don't do this to me… You can't do this Maur… Not now, not today, not ever. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'll be damned if I lose you now!"

Her eyes fluttered open lazily, the blood oozing out of her wound and staining her cashmere sweater. She squeezed Jane's fingers slightly.

"Jane… I love you…"

"Shh Maura don't try to speak… Just focus on staying awake, okay? Just stay with me, there are people coming to help… Please, stay with me…"

Once again her eyes closed, and her hand went limp in Jane's. She swore under her breath, trying to stop the bleeding from Maura's shoulder. It wasn't fatal… She would be okay… Wouldn't she? Jane didn't have time to ponder the question, as the paramedics came bursting through the double door of the hall.

"What do we have here?"

"Her name is Maura Isles, she's been shot… Help her, please help her…"

The paramedics approached the pair, carrying a stretcher and medical bags. Two set about treating Maura, while the other rest a reassuring hand on Jane's shoulder.

"It'll be alright sweetheart, we'll get her help… How long has she been unconscious?"

Jane could only shake her head. She hadn't been keeping an eye on the time, it felt like she'd had been sat here for hours waiting for them, but it could have been no more than a few minutes. The adrenaline that had kept her calm and kept her going had since dispersed, leaving only fear and heartache in its mists. It was all she could do not to burst into tears.

_Don't do this Jane, not here and not now. You have to be strong… You have to be strong for Maura. She needs you now more than ever._

She snapped out of her trance like state as soon as they moved Maura's stretcher and headed toward the door.

"Stop! Wait, I'm coming with you."

She scrambled to her feet and grasped Maura's hand once more. Using the back of her hand, she wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead and left the building with the paramedics, muttering sweet nothing's to Maura as they went.

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What do you think? What's going to happen to Maura? Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long! I'm such a bad human being, but I've been working on some other stuff recently too so hopefully you'll get lots of exciting new things soon and won't hate me forever! I hope this update was worth the wait, there will be many more where this came from, trust me!

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I_ can't believe this has happened… Why her? Why not me? She wasn't even supposed to be here… She just wanted to help, this whole day was supposed to go off without any problems and now this has happened…_

_Why wasn't it me? She doesn't deserve this. She was never supposed to follow me into that God-forsaken room. I shouldn't have been so weak, and so stupid. I should have disarmed him, and got him arrested and everything would have been okay. We could have gone back to our happy lives like nothing had ever happened._

_But we couldn't really, could we? Regardless of anything else, these children still died, their parents and friends and everyone they were ever close to are going to weep for them… Because I couldn't do my job properly. Because I wasn't fast enough, because I didn't care enough, they're all dead._

_How does someone come back from something like this? Will the remaining students at the school be able to return to the place, knowing what had happened? Would the teachers be able to work there, feeling safe and secure? I know I wouldn't be able to, and I see death every bloody day. _

_Yet… I did do it, didn't I? I went back to the place where a young witness died, and Frankie was shot in the chest. I went back to the place where I could have lost my brother, and my best friend. Hell, I could have even lost my own life. And Maura, well, she was – is – so much more than just a best friend._

_So I suppose something good came out of this day after all; I finally told Maura how I felt. Okay, it was rushed, and it was probably the reason she followed me, but it was something wasn't it? Not now, she might not even… No, I mustn't say it, I must think like that. Maura has to come out of this alive. She just has to. She cannot die because of my stupidity and mistakes. Not that it helps, because nothing could make this massacre justifiable but…_

_I can't live without her._

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"Sorry Miss, you aren't allowed into the emergency room with her."

Two strong, broad hands clasping Jane's shoulders bought her back from her thoughts, the words spinning around in her head until they finally became somewhat coherent.

"What? No way, no way, I'm not leaving her now."

"There's a waiting room just down the hall if you would like to follow me…"

Finally, after staying so strong and held together for all this time, Jane snapped. Her fists and feet flailed out in the direction of the doctor as she fought his grasp, fought to get back to Maura. She screamed at him, red flashing in front of her eyes as her tears of anger and hurt finally escaped from her eyes.

"Let me see her, you asshole, let me bloody see her!"

He held her back, just, while the receptionist rang down to security. Jane knew what she was doing, and she knew it wasn't the doctor's fault, but all the anger and hatred that had bottled up finally popped and was bursting out of her too fast to control. She was still kicking her legs at him and throwing punches but none hit her target, nor would cause any last damage if she did, she just needed to vent.

"Security are on their way, if you don't calm down miss then they are going to throw you out of the hospital. I understand you're upset but –"

"Upset? You call this bloody upset?! My entire life has fallen apart, the love of my life is lying on your damned hospital bed, dying, because of some stupid punk-ass kid and you think I'm upset?!"

The doctor guided her to a chair once her movements became less violent and erratic. He was a tall, strong man, and if the situation were more appropriate (And Jane batted for the other team) then he would probably be physically attractive. What she noticed more was his eyes, a caring and tender blue. Perfect for a doctor, it seemed.

"Are you a relative of Miss Isles?"

"Doctor Isles… No, no I'm not, I'm her colleague… But… It's so much more than that… I need – I need to tell her everything before it's too late. I can't let her… She has to know."

The doctor gave her a knowing smile and rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.

"We're doing everything we can for her… But as you're basically family, I can make an exception for you. She'll be going to surgery soon though, so you'll have to be quick."

He smiled at her one last time and pointed her in the right direction before heading off the other way, back towards the chaos.

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She stood for a moment to compose herself before opening the heavy double doors that separated her and Maura. There were wires and tubes everywhere, and the rhythmic bleep of the heart monitor sounded loud and harsh compared to the muttering surrounding her. She could only catch snippets of the doctor's and nurse's sentences.

"Stable for now but –"

"… mostly a flesh wound. No lasting –"

"- needs to go to theatre ASAP…"

"Maura…" Jane breathed, ignoring those around her and heading over to the bed, clasping Maura's hand in her own. She got a few looks from the staff; one nurse opened her mouth as if to say something but, on catching sight of Jane's badge, decided against it. Jane tried to ignore what was going on around her, she didn't want to know how crucial Maura was or whether or not she was going to survive because it was not a question in her eyes. Maura had to live, there was no alternative.

Maura's hand felt cold to the touch, too cold and too clammy, and Jane had to choke back the tears. She tried not to think about how much her skin could be compared to the bodies that found their way to Maura's autopsy table, or how similar her cool hands felt to those she watched die today but she simply couldn't help it. Her mind would not be drawn away from the lingering thought that Maura… Maura might not survive.

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What do you think? Please review :)


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